Sanitation
The Facts about Sanitation at Global Level
Ø In 2017, 45% of the global population (3.4 billion people) used a safely managed sanitation service.
Ø 31% of the global population (2.4 billion people) used private sanitation facilities connected to sewers from which wastewater was treated.
Ø 14% of the global population (1.0 billion people) used toilets or latrines where excreta were disposed of in situ.
Ø 74% of the world’s population (5.5 billion people) used at least a basic sanitation service.
Ø 2.0 billion people still do not have basic sanitation facilities such as toilets or latrines.
Ø Of these, 673 million still defecate in the open, for example in street gutters, behind bushes or into open bodies of water.
Ø At least 10% of the world’s population is thought to consume food irrigated by wastewater.
Ø Poor sanitation is linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio and exacerbates stunting.
Ø Inadequate sanitation is estimated to cause 432 000 diarrhoeal deaths annually and is a major factor in several neglected tropical diseases, including intestinal worms, schistosomiasis, and trachoma. Poor sanitation also contributes to malnutrition.
Ø Some 827 000 people in low- and middle-income countries die as a result of inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene each year, representing 60% of total diarrhoeal deaths. Poor sanitation is believed to be the main cause in some 432 000 of these deaths.
Ø Diarrhoea remains a major killer but is largely preventable. Better water, sanitation, and hygiene could prevent the deaths of 297 000 children aged under 5 years each year.
Ø Open defecation perpetuates a vicious cycle of disease and poverty. The countries where open defection is most widespread have the highest number of deaths of children aged under 5 years as well as the highest levels of malnutrition and poverty, and big disparities of wealth.